Just finished reading…Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

“Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world.”

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home—her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power—and the courage to fight her own inner demons?

A wildly original approach to the issue of eating disorders, Hunger is about the struggle to find balance in a world of extremes, and uses fantastic tropes to explore a difficult topic that touches the lives of many teens.

This slim (175 pgs) volume was the hardest, darkest book I’ve read in a long time.

This unflinching tale of Lisa, an anorexic teen who’s selected to be Famine, one of the Horseman of the Apocalypse, took a lot longer to read than I thought it would, because it was hard, at times, to live in Lisa’s head.

With an economy of words, the story paints a vivid portrait of Lisa, and how her life is dominated by the “Thin voice”. The ritual and routine of obeying the Thin voice, and the inevitable guilt and self loathing when she is unable to live up to its warped expectations, is powerful and difficult reading.

In the midst of Lisa’s pain, Death comes for her with a new task–to take up the scales of Famine.

As Famine, Lisa is ripped from her internal drama and thrust into horrors of the greater world. She must find strength within herself to take control of the situation, and ultimately, control of her life.

For all of it’s darkness, Hunger, in the end, is a hopeful one. It doesn’t have a fairytale HEA, but Lisa does come into her own power that helps her move forward with her life.

Sure thing, Kris. It’s really one of those books that makes it hard to settle down to read something after. Just listening to a historical I’ve read before. Need to decompress a bit. *still processing*

Sounds like a fascinating and creative way to write about this subject, Renee. I don’t read YA books (usually), but this one sounds to interesting to pass up even for me. I’ll bookmark it. Thanks for the review.